Timing valve



April 8, 1952 E. GOODROAD ETAL 2,592,024

TIMING VALVE Filed May 25, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 swam kw EM 600mm Ema/000W Filed May 25, 1949 April 8. 195 2 E. GOODROAD EAL 2, 2, 2

TIMING VALVE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 45 so 55 o Patented Apr. 8, 1952 TlMlNGVALVE Earl Goodroad and Elmer E. Goodroad, Cambridge, Minn., assignors,by direct and mesne assignments, to Flo Matic Valve .60.. a corporationof Minnesota Application Mey'zs, 1949, Serial Ne. '95,1s4

" I 6 came. (on. 1614i" 1 Our invention relates=to an improvement fluidtiming valve wherein it is desired to provide a timing device foractuating a valve in .a fluid line.

Considerable fluid is wasted from time to time due-to the lack of aninexpensive timing valve for controlling the operation of a fluid line.For example in watering a lawn or garden, it is often desirable to limitthe watering period so that the attendant will not forget that the wateris on and let the water run indefinitely. Similarly in supplyingwater tostock tanks and the like, it is usually necessary to turn on the watermanually and to turn it oiT-after a period of time. This requires theuse of unnecessary time by an attendant in order to prevent the waste ofwater.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a simpletiming valve which may close a valve in a fluid line after apredetermined time period. This timing valve may be set when the valveis opened and will act to close the valve after a predetermined periodof time. As a result a fluid line may be turned on and forgotten as thefluid will be turned off after a desired period of time. I

1 An added feature of the present invention lies in the provision of atiming apparatus which may act as a means of actuating a fluid valve.The timing mechanism may be operable through any desired time cycle andthe valve may be mechanically held out of one extreme position.Resilient means are usually provided for urging the valve toward itsother extreme position and means are provided actuated by thetiming'mechanism for releasing the valve so that it may be resilientlyactuated after a predetermined period of time.

These and other objects and novel features of our invention will be moreclearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of our speci- V fic ation Figure 3 is aside elevation view of the mech- 4' Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure6 showing the parts of the cam in a different rotative position. 1

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a modified form ofconstruction.

Figure 9 is a sectional view showing a detail portion of our device.

The timing device A is preferably enclosed within a. housing or casingIll. The housing [0 is generally rectangular in form and includes afront wall panel II, sid wall panels l2 and i3 and top and bottom panels[4 and I5 respectively. The rear end of the casing opposite the frontpanel II is open and is closed by a closure panel l6 having anencircling flange ll thereupon which embraces a portion of the side, topand bottom walls of the casing I 0 next to the open end thereof. Therear closure panel I6 is held in place by any suitable means such as bycap screws or metal screws l9 extending through the side walls I3 and Mand through the closureflange ll.

A supporting frame 20 is provided within the casing Ill to support theVarious elements of the timing mechanism. The supporting frame 20includes a base panel 2i and a front mounting panel 22 extendingupwardly therefrom. An upwardly extending mounting panel 23 'is'securedto the base 2| in spaced relation to the mounting panel 22. Thissupporting frame acts to support the mechanism of the device and isenclosed within the casing or housing Ill.

A valve 24 is mounted within the housing 10 upon the base panel 2| nearthe rear end thereof. The valve 24 issupported by a supporting stand 25shown in Figure 3. The valve 24 includes opposed inlet and outletpassages 26 and 21 and a ported partition 29 extending therebetween.

A valve element 30 is engageable against the ported partition 29 toclose the opening 3| therethrough. The specific form of the valve is notimportant in the present inventionand the valve shown is merelyillustrative. Furthermore, either of the passages 26 or 21 may form theinlet of the device.

The ends of the valve are provided with nipples 32 and 33 which arethreaded into the outlet and inlet passages 21 and 26. Lock nuts 34 areprovided on the nipples 32 and 33 to hold the nipples v in placerelative to the casing ID. The lock nuts 34 are preferably integral withthe nipples 32 and 33 and provide a means of rotating them. The nipples32 and 33 extend through the side walls I 3 and I2 of the housing l0 andhold the valve in fixed relation to the housing.

The valve element 30 is secured to a valve stem .32. fihQWR ese te dessi ri i 5 9 to the axes of the inlet and outlet ports. The stem 25extends through a suitable packing gland 36 to prevent the escape offluid. By reciprocating the valve stem 35 the valve element 30 may bemoved from open position to closed position. A collar 31 is mounted onthe shaft 35 at a point spaced from the mounting panel 22. A spring 39is interposed between the mounting panel 22 and the collar 31 tending tourge the valve element 30 into closed po ition. The valve stem 35extends through the ounting panels 22 and 23 and through the front panelll of the housing ID. A knob 40 is mounted upon the exposed end of thevalve stem 35 by means of which the valve stem may be reciprocatedmanually.

An arm 4| is secured to the collar 31 to extend radially with respectthereto. The arm 4| extends upwardly between the mounting panels 22 and23 and is designed to engage with a collar 42 mounted upon a rod 43extending between the mounting panels 22 and 23. The collar 42 is heldin adjusted position upon the fixed rod 43 and acts as a shoulderagainst which the arm 4| may engage. An arm 44 is secured to the collar42 and extends radially therefrom and is then bent at right angles toprovide an arm end 45 extending parallel to the fixed rod 43. Thus theupper extremity of the rod 4| is confined between the fixed rod 43 andthe second fixed rod 44.

The collar 42 acts as a means of holding the valve element 30 in openposition. In opening the valve the knob 40 is pulled outwardly until thearm 4| is clear of the collar 42 whereupon the valve stem 35 may brotated by the knob so that the arm 4| engages the collar 42. The arm 4|will not remain engaged with the collar 42 unless the timing mechanismis in operation as will be later described in detail.

The timing mechanism is illustrated in general by the numeral 46. Thedetails of this timing mechanism are not illustrated, as numerous suchdevices are commercially available. The timing device is always underspring tension and. rotates continually at a fixed rate of speed untilit is mechanically stopped from rotation. A stop is provided forlimiting the movement of the timing apparatus and for keeping theoperating spring from unwinding beyond a predetermined extent.

The timing mechanism includes an operating shaft 41 which projectsthrough the mounting panel 22 and also through the front wall H of thehousing. A knob 49 is mounted upon this shaft by means of which theshaft may be rotated. Indicia 59 is provided on the front panel II ofthe housing to indicate time intervals. For example in the specific formof construction illustrated the timer is arranged to make one completerevolution in sixty minutes. Thus when the knob 49 is rotated in aclockwise direction as viewed in Figure 1, the timing mechanism willstart to function to rotate the shaft 41 in a counter-clockwisedirection at the rate of one revolution per hour in the specificconstruction shown.

A cam is mounted upon the shaft 4'! to rotate in unison therewith. Thiscam is provided with a notch 52 in its periphery which is engageablewith a pin 53 mounted upon a pivoted trip lever 54. The trip lever 54 ispivoted at 55 to the timer casing and is urged in one rotative directionby a spring 56. A set screw 51 is adjustably supported upon the triplever 54 and the end of this set screw 51- is engageable with the arm 4|to disengage the arm from the collar 42.

In actual practice the cam 5| is made as best illustrated in Figures 6and 7 of the .drawings and includes a first disc 59 which is secured tothe shaft 41 for rotation in unison therewith and a second disc- 5|]which is secured to the first disc for limited rotation with respectthereto. The relative rotation between the two discs may be regulated bya pin 6| mounted on the disc 59 and extending through a slot 62 in thedisc 60. A spring 63 may urge the disc 60 toward one extreme position.

The disc 69 is provided with a notch 64 of just sufficient width toslidably engage about the pin 53. The cam disc 59 is provided with anotch 52 having an inclined side. As the shaft 47 is rotated in theclockwise direction as viewed in Figures 6 and '7, the pin 53 will rideup the inclined side 52 of the cam disc 59, the notched disc 60 pivotingsomewhat relative to the disc 59 to permit this action. As soon as thepin 53 is in engagement with the outer periphery of the discs 59 and 93,the disc 65 shifts so that the deepest portions of the notches 52 and 64are in registry as viewed in Figure 6. Thus as the two discs rotateslowly in a counter-clockwise direction, the pin 53 remains inengagement with the periphery of the discs until sufficiently alignedtherewith to quickly drop into the notches. This arrangement is designedto permit a quick operation of the trip lever 54 rather than the gradualoperation, which would otherwise be necessary if the second cam disc 60were not provided.

In operating the timer A the pointer 49 is rotated until the end thereofindicates a proper time interval. In other words, the pointer 49 may berotated in a clockwise direction until it points to ten, fifteen, or anyother of the indicia 55 to produce the desired time interval. The knob40 is then pulled outwardly to open the valve element 39 and the knob isrotated in a clockwise direction until the arm 4| engages the collar 42.

While the timer46 is in operation the trip lever 54 is in the positionshown in Figure 5 with the pin 53 in engagement with a portion of theperiphery of the disc. The timer continues until the pin 53 may dropintothe' notches 52 and 54 of the cam 5| at which time the trip lever 54pivots into the position shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. This isaccomplished by engagement of the set screw 51 with the arm 4|. As soonas the arm 4| is swung out of engagement with the collar 42, the spring39 forces the valve element 30 into closed position, thus closing thevalve.

Obviously the timing mechanism may be arranged so that the valve will beopen after a predetermined time interval when such an ar rangement isdesired. However, it is more commonly desired to leave the valve openfor a time interval and then to close the same.

In Figures 8 and 9 of the drawings we disclose a timing valve B ofsomewhat simpler construction. The valve B includes a casing 66 similarto the casing ID and closed at one end by an end closure 61 providedwith a peripheral flange 69 which lies in telescoping relation to thehousing end; A frame 10 is supported within the casing 65 and includes abottom panel H and an upwardly extending mounting panel I2. The mountingpanel 12 is in parallel spaced relation to the front casing panel I3. Asecond mounting panel 14 is secured to the base panel H in parallelspaced relation to the mounting panel 12. A timing mechanism 15 issecured to the mounting panel 12.

A valve 16 similar to that previously described is provided with a valveelement 11 by means of which the valve may be closed. A valve rod orstem 19 is provided on the valve element 11 and this valve rod 19 formsan extension of the shaft 80 of the timing mechanism 75. The shaft 80 isslidably and rotatably supported by the timing mechanism.

A collar BI is mounted upon the valve rod 79 and a spring 82 isinterposed between this collar 8! and the mounting panel 74 to urge thevalve element Tl toward one extreme position. The timing shaft 80forming a continuation of the valve stem 19 is provided with a knob 83on its outer extremity by means of which the shaft 80 may be rotated.The shaft 80 extends through the mounting panel 12 and the front wall 13of the housing.

An arm 84 is mounted upon the timing shaft 86 for rotation in unisontherewith. This arm 84 is provided with a pin 85 near its outerextremity which is engageable through an aperture 86 in the mountingpanel 74 in one rotative position of the arm 84.

Upon rotation of the shaft 80 the pin 85 drops into the aperture 86 tolimit rotation of the timing shaft 80. However, in all other angularpositions the rounded end of the pin 85 bears against the mounting panel14 and holds the valve element 1! in open position.

The operation of the timing device B is extremely simple. The valve 15is opened by an outward pull upon the knob 83. After pulling the valverod outwardly the knob 83 is rotated so that the pointer points tosuitable indicia indicating a desired time interval. The pin 85 holdsthe valve element 1! in open position while the arm 84 is slowly rotatedby the timing mechanism 17. When the pin 85 comes into registry with theaperture 86 the pin drops into this aperture as the valve stem 19 andshaft extension 80 are moved longitudinally by the spring 82.

Thus it will be seen that our timing device will act to hold a valve inone extreme position for a timed interval, and will then be resilientlyurged into its other extreme position. As a result a flow of fluidthrough the valve may be continued or discontinued for a predeterminedtimed interval.

In accordance with the patent statutes, we have described the principlesof construction and operation of our timing valve, and while we haveendeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, we desire to haveit understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims without departing from the spirit of our invention.

We claim:

1. A timing valve comprising a valve movable between two extremepositions, a valve stem slidably and rotatably supported for moving saidvalve between extreme positions, a laterally pro- J'ecting arm fixedlymounted on said valve stem for rotation therewith, a fixed shoulderagainst which said arm may engage to hold said valve in one extremeposition, means urging said valve toward the other extreme position, atiming mechanism, and lever means actuated by said timing mechanism forrotating said arm to thereby disengage said arm from said shouldermeans.

2. The structure described in claim 1 and including means for manuallysetting said timing mechanism.

3. The structure described in claim 1 and including cam means associatedwith said timing mechanism, the lever means being actuated by said cammeans for disengaging said arm from said shoulder means.

4. A timing valve comprising a valve movable between open and closedpositions, said valve having means normally biasing said valve towardone of said positions, manually operable means for moving said valve tothe other of said positions, a laterally extending arm carried by saidstem for rotation in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis ofsaid stem, a cooperable member engageable with said arm, timingmechanism, and a lever associated with said timing mechanism forrotating the arm to cause its disengagement from said cooperable member.

5. A timing valve comprising a valve movable between two extremepositions, a valve stem slidably and rotatably supported for moving saidvalve between extreme positions, an arm projecting from said valve stem,a fixed shoulder against which said arm may engage to hold said valve inone extreme position, means urging said valve toward the other extremeposition, a timing mechanism, cam means associated with said timingmechanism, and a pivotally mounted lever actuated by said cam means, andmeans on said lever engageable with said arm for disengaging same.

6. A timing valve comprising a valve movable between two extremepositions, a Valve stem slidably and rotatably supported for moving saidvalve between extreme positions, an arm projecting from said valve stem,a fixed shoulder against which said arm may engage to hold said valve inone extreme position, means urging said valve toward the other extremeposition, a timing mechanism, cam means rotated by said timingmechanism, a pivoted lever including cam follower means engaging theperiphery of the cam, resilient means for urging the follower againstthe cam, a notch in said cam into which said follower extends to stopmovement of said timing mechanism, and means on said lever engageablewith said arm for disengaging the same from said shoulder means.

EARL GOODROAD. ELMER E'. GOODROAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,504,068 Meacham Aug. 5, 19242,202,721 Anderson May 28, 1940 2,208,956 Allenbaugh July 23. 19402,259,188 Whitehead Oct. 14, 1941 2,315,774 Cousens Apr. 6, 19432,338,804 Drane Jan. 11, 1944

